Contrary to common belief, assisted grooming is an essential part of most cats lives. It is not simply about fur, but the cats health and well-being too.

“Oh, cats don’t need to be groomed, they do it themselves!”

Of course they can groom themselves, but what about the ones that can’t quite manage their coat? Or those who for whatever reason can’t reach certain parts of their body regularly? These are the cats who need assistance more than any other, however, even cats who aren’t long-haired, overweight or elderly need help too.

What about you, as an owner? Are you happy with the level of cat fur which is present in your house?

A cat groomer is not someone who just messes about with brushes and gets enjoyment from combing a cats fur. They perform other services, for example, even short-haired cats may need ‘sanitary’ assistance. Their eyes and ears need cleaning, in a safe and hygienic way. Their claws may need attention. A good cat groomer will assess your cat and take notice of them physiologically as they are grooming as a matter of course. (I will take a moment at this point to stress that no-one, unless qualified as a vet should diagnose or make any sort of attempt to prescribe something for your cat, but your groomer might notice something you may need to talk to your vet about).

Grooming can be such a wonderful relief for your cat, and the removal of a heavily matted coat can do more for his or her happiness than you might think.

Without a regular and very thorough brushing, a cats coat can develop knots and tangles, particularly in certain areas.

If left for too long, these tangles progress to an even more knotted state and become an almost weave-like shield of knots that present as a mat. Once it gets to this stage it is an incredibly hard and time-consuming task to comb out, and will often result in the need for shaving/clipping. The longer the mat is left, the closer the fur tangles to the skin until the point where it touches and then ‘shields’ the skin from any outside influence. Once it’s at this point, it becomes an even more dangerous job for the groomer to remove due to the risk of breaking the cats skin with the clippers.

At this point, cat owners often give up and take their cat to the vet to be clipped. This is perfectly fine of course, but regular maintenance can prevent this. A trip to the vets is never cheap, and there is always the likelihood of sedation in order to clip the cat which can run to hundreds of pounds.

Your cat groomer will take more time. They will brush out the coat until as much of the dead fur (as possible) is removed. The vet knows all there is to know about the health of your animal, but your groomer spends all of her working day doing specific tasks. She will get to know you and your cat and establish a good relationship with you. She will take notes on your needs, and how your cat reacts to being groomed and develop a plan in order to deal with your cat in as gentle a way as possible but still get the job done.

To sum up, grooming is essential basic maintenance for any cat owner. Just remember that prevention is better than cure!